The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has given Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa seven days to produce documentary evidence accounting for GH¢49.7 million reportedly spent on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa following xenophobic violence.
The party is demanding invoices, contracts, payment vouchers and signed beneficiary records to substantiate the expenditure, warning that it will pursue parliamentary and legal action if the government fails to provide the documents.
Addressing a press conference, the NPP’s National Communications Director, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, questioned alleged discrepancies in expenditure records released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly payments for chartered flights, allowances to evacuees and a GH¢16 million contribution associated with Engineers and Planners.
“Ghana did not ask the Minister for an explanation. Ghana asked for an account,” Mr Aboagye declared, insisting that the matter could not be considered closed without supporting documentation.
He also called for an independent audit by a firm of international standing, with the findings made public.
Flight Expenditure
Mr Aboagye said GH¢27,183,700, representing approximately 55 per cent of the total expenditure, was reportedly spent on chartered flights.
He questioned the absence of invoices, contracts and the identity of the charter operator in the documents released by the ministry.
According to him, although the evacuation was undertaken under emergency circumstances, the government remained obligated to account for the use of public funds.
He also challenged the ministry’s records concerning allowances reportedly paid to the 1,964 evacuees.
Mr Aboagye said the ministry claimed that each beneficiary received GH¢5,000 and an additional GH¢500, but the supporting records contained approximately 1,508 entries for the GH¢5,000 payment and 1,001 signatures for the GH¢500 allowance.
He claimed that a comparison of the two lists identified only 824 individuals appearing on both, raising questions about GH¢6.27 million allegedly declared as payments without corresponding signatures for both allowances.
The NPP communications director further questioned the GH¢10.8 million reportedly spent on reintegration and transport, arguing that the ministry’s calculation did not adequately establish the amounts actually disbursed to beneficiaries.
Conflicting Records
Mr Aboagye also raised concerns about documents relating to ASKY airline, claiming that an invoice and receipt bearing the same reference number and date contained different amounts.
According to him, the invoice indicated US$79,727, while the corresponding receipt showed US$89,918, leaving a difference of US$10,191 requiring clarification.
He additionally questioned a reported US$13,000 payment covering 50 passengers who allegedly did not board.
GH¢16m Contribution
The NPP also demanded clarification of a GH¢16 million contribution associated with Engineers and Planners.
Mr Aboagye claimed that correspondence from the Foreign Affairs Minister described the amount as a cash donation, while a Right to Information response from the ministry indicated that the company had directly purchased tickets and provided reintegration support.
He said the conflicting descriptions raised questions about whether the contribution was made in cash or through direct support and how the full amount was accounted for.
He further cited differences between two versions of a letter inviting the Auditor-General to examine the evacuation records.
Independent Audit
Mr Aboagye called for the publication of complete expenditure records, identification of the charter operator and an explanation of the procurement process used in selecting the operator.
He also demanded clarification of the ASKY airline figures, the Engineers and Planners contribution and the discrepancies in beneficiary payment records.
The party said it would support further parliamentary scrutiny, petition the Auditor-General to prioritise the expenditure and pursue remedies under the Right to Information Act if the requested documents were not provided.
Mr Aboagye additionally called for the publication of the complete list of 1,964 evacuees, together with proof of payment against each name, to facilitate independent verification.
He maintained that Mr Ablakwa, having previously demanded accountability from public officials, should subject himself to the same standard while serving in government.
The allegations and disputed figures are attributed to the NPP. The supplied document does not include a response from the Foreign Affairs Ministry or independent verification of the alleged discrepancies.
